Abstract:

Indiana’s physician workforce is comprised of many skilled health care providers that work in a range of settings and specialties. Information on the supply and distribution of this workforce are critical to Indiana’s health system for planning and policy development. Supply data on Indiana’s physician workforce are routinely collected in the form of surveys administered in conjunction with the biennial medical license renewal process. As of the 2013, 25, 800 physicians were licensed to practice in the State of Indiana. Of these, 9,460 physicians indicated a n Indiana practice address , of which 2 ,939 reported a primary care specialty as defined by the Health Resource s and Service s Administration (HRSA) at Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), including: general or family practice, general internal medicine, pediatrics, and obstetrics and gynecology. Practice characteristics and geographic distribution of this workforce are critical to determining capacity at the community level. The majority of Indiana physicians reported having only one practice location in Indiana and indicated that they worked at least 33 hours per week in direct patient care. Approximately one - third of physicians reported working with an advanced practice nurse (APN), but very few worked with physician assistants. The physician workforce, including primary care, is concentrated in populous, urban areas. In fact there are two rural Indiana counties, Benton and Switzerland, in which no physician reported practicing. Currently, all or parts of 63 counties are designated as primary care health professional shortage areas (HPSAs). However, 11 Indiana Counties not currently designated qualify as a geographic HPSA based population to primary care physician ratio as calculated with the most recent supply data. This report presents detailed information on Indiana’s physician workforce. This includes information on the demographic and practice characteristics of the workforce, supply data aggregated to the county - level, and federal shortage designations. These data provide stakeholders with information needed to improve the quality and accessibility of health care for Indiana residents through policymaking, workforce development, and resource allocation.